What happens next?
by cookie-geek
Summary: Post DH, what might have happened when everyone returns to the Burrow. Ranges from sad to funny. Bit of RonHermione and at HarryGinny.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: none of the characters are mine... though I long for J K Rowling like genius**

The Burrow seemed strangely cold and empty as one by one they came in through the front door.

Mrs Weasley collapsed on the sofa, exhausted and no longer able to support her weight, and Mr Weasley sat next to her, putting his arm around her, seeking to comfort and be comforted. George followed them in and sat down quietly at the kitchen table, staring at his hand that twisted and fidgeted in front of him, not making eye contact with anyone. Percy hovered behind him for a minute, unsure how to help but wanting to console him, finally settling opposite him, saying nothing, just trying to be there.

Ron felt the tension as he came in, and felt like he aged so much since he was last in his family home. He couldn't process all the things that had happened in the last year, so shook his head to clear all the thoughts and settled on action as the best remedy for grief. He slipped his wand out of his pocket and started lighting the lamps. Ginny joined in, so he let her finish off while he wordlessly went over to the hob and started putting a large pot on to warm.

Harry and Hermione stood just inside the door, feeling like intruders. Harry looked over and caught Hermione's eye, her look conveying her discomfort. Both of loved the Weasleys like their own family, more so than his own family in Harry's case, the Dursleys took up no room in his affection whatsoever. Yet, however much they had been welcomed by the family they were outsiders in this. Their grief at Fred's death was a fraction of the pain they could see in the faces of the family members around them, and they knew nothing they could say or do could help.

Ginny had finished lighting the lamps, and beckoned them over to sit with her on the second sofa. She sat at the end so she could reach across to her mother, with Harry next to her and Hermione squashed at the far end, trying to look inconspicuous. She watched Ron bustling around the kitchen. Unsure what he was doing, never having seen him do anything vaguely domestic before without some serious nagging. The pot he was fussing over was steaming gently, and she watched as he summoned mugs that bobbed lines in the air next to him as he filled them one by one.

Ron took two mugs and gave the first to his Dad, then one to his Mum, kissing her awkwardly on the forehead. 'Here you go' he said gently, with a tenderness in his voice that surprised Hermione, and made her fall in love with him a little bit more.

'Thanks, love' said his Mother, breaking the tense silence and smiling sadly up at her son. Ron distributed the rest of the mugs, giving Hermione hers last and perching on the arm of the sofa next to her. The all blew silently on the hot liquid, which smelled deliciously of hot chocolate, until it was cool enough to drink. George was the first to take a sip, which he promptly spat out, mostly in Percy's face.

'Urgghhh! Bloody hell, Ron, what is this filth?' he coughed, as Percy spluttered wiping spit and hot chocolate out of his eyes.

Ron swung between outrage at the criticism and relief at hearing his older brother speak with the first hint of his former self, since his twin had died hours earlier. He never thought he'd be so happy to hear George mock him.

'It smells ok' said Harry, sniffing his drink.

'But it tastes like frog spawn' said Ginny, her face contorted having taken a mouthful.

'Oi' said Ron, mock indignantly. 'Its fine' and to prove it he took a huge swig, which he had trouble swallowing as it was, in fact, foul.

Mr Weasley stood up and emptied his mug into the sink, mumbling something about it being the best soup he'd had in ages.

'It's not soup, it's hot chocolate' whined Ron, eliciting smiles all round. The heavy mood was lightening, and Mr Weasley went back to his wife, gently holding her arm and saying 'Molly, dear, I think we all could do with some sleep.'

Mrs Weasley nodded tiredly, and went round kissing everyone good night, starting with Ginny, Harry, Hermione and Ron. She ruffled Percy's hair and last of all gave George a big hug, whispering something in his hear that nobody heard, though they all saw him nod, wipe his eyes and squeeze his mother back. With that the Weasley parents made their way upstairs, Mrs Weasley still clenching the mug of filth in her hands.

George stood up hesitantly, at Percy opposite him. 'Stay in my room tonight?' He paused searching for the right words 'I've never been on my own before'.

'Of course' said Percy, leaping up and putting his arm around his younger but taller brother and they left the room too.

Ginny got up and retraced her fathers footsteps to the sink. 'Thanks for trying, Ron' she said as she tipped the now slightly green remnants of the brew down the plughole.

'Shame it sucked', grumbled Ron.

Ginny walked over and gave her brother a squeeze. 'No, it helped' she said firmly. 'Somebody needed to break the tension and your crappy drink did the job nicely'.

'Thanks' said Ron. 'I just… well, you know' and he hugged his sister tighter, a few tears running down into her hair.

Ginny felt Ron's gentle sobs and held him closer, knowing exactly what he was feeling, a few hears of her own soaking into his T-shirt.

Harry looked shiftily at Hermione, his discomfort at intruding on a private grief returning.

She nodded and they stood up. 'We should go to bed' Harry muttered uncertainly.

Ginny broke free of her brothers arms and nodded, wiping her eyes. 'Yeah, me too' she said grabbing Harry's arm and guiding him up the stairs before he could object. Harry caught Ron's eyes over his shoulder and sent him a look that he hoped expressed his sorrow for the loss of Fred and his pride in his friends strength. Ron nodded back so he hoped he'd understood.

Hermione whispered a good night too and turned to go but Ron put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. 'No, please, don't go yet.'

'Ok' she replied uncertainly. Their first kiss had been a long time coming, but, though only a few hours ago the world had changed in the mean time, and she didn't know what would happen next. 'I need you to help me tidy up' Ron said, looking down at her with a twinkle in his eye, characteristically evading any serious discussion with a joke.

They both smiled and went round the room collecting the remaining mugs and laughing at the purple congealed grunge that remained in the pot on the stove. It took three different charms from Hermione to clean it, and when she was finished she turned to see Ron collapsed on the sofa.

He patted the seat next to him and put his arms around her as she sat down and snuggled up next to him. 'Thanks' he whispered into her ear, bowing down to kiss her neck gently. 'For what' she asked, leaning her head back to expose more of her neck to his gentle attentions. 'For being here for me' he murmured, tangling his hands in her hair. 'I will always be here' she whispered as their lips met, and they shared their second kiss, soft and expressive compared to their first hungry kiss Hermione had initiated during the battle.

Ron felt himself relax against her, the stress and tensions of the day melting away. The loss of his brother, the, albeit temporary, loss of his best friend. The fear, the joy the pain, all of it seemed more distant as he felt Hermione's tongue exploring the inside of his mouth.

'I could stay like this forever' Ron mumbled into her hair, as they gently parted for air. 'mmmm' Hermione replied, eloquently, as she rested he head against his chest, feeling safe for the first time in a long while.


	2. The lesson

Ron jumped and a banging behind him and blinked as he opened his eyes, the bright sunlight streaming in through the living room curtains.

'What the…' he mumbled before jumping again when he felt something shift next to him. He looked down and realized he was lying on the sofa, with Hermione. She stirred and blinked up at him, looking equally confused.

'Morning' he said, a grin spreading across his face before another bang startled him.

'Morning, you two' his Mothers voice echoed across from the kitchen as her turned round to see her bustling around with pots and pans.

Ron's heart sunk as he realized the embarrassing position he was caught in. At least they'd fallen asleep before anything had really happened and they were still fully clothed, he thought, flinching at Hermione as she raised her eyebrows at him, her cheeks distinctly pink with embarrassment.

'Um, morning Mum, we were, um, just, um sleeping' Ron mumbled, leaping up and heading over to the kitchen, as Hermione dashed for the bathroom. 'Need any help with breakfast?'

His mother, though still looking somewhat haggard, had a genuine smile on her face and she shook her head 'no thanks dear, not after your tea making attempt last night. When I woke up this morning there was slime seeping all over my bedside table'.

'Sorry' he grumbled reaching over and stuffing a fresh piece of toast into his mouth.

'And I'd quite forgotten about the Ghoul in your bed until I came down and saw you curled up on the sofa'. Mrs Weasleys eyes actually sparkled as she watched her youngest son squirm uncomfortably.

'I'd forgotten about, I mean, yes the ghoul. That's why I slept down here'.

'And Harry, where did he sleep?'

Ron squirmed again, having absolutely no idea but luckily Hermione came back from the bathroom, her hair a bit less the morning-after-ish and rescued him

'In Percy's room, I believe. Can I help with anything?'

Mrs Weasley tried to smile graciously, but it ended up more like a smirk. 'Thank you, Hermione dear. Can you watch the sausages for me while I put the kettle on?' and she walked of to the store cupboard, in the opposite direction to the kettle.

Ron breathed a sigh of relief. 'Quick thinking Hermione, that was close.'

'I don't know' she replied. 'Seeing as we got caught maybe we should have kept Harry and Ginny under suspicion to deflect the attention from us'.

Ron considered this, but his still sleeping brain was having trouble with the convoluted logic, and he turned round to see Ginny and Harry appear at the bottom of the stairs.

'Oh my god, you won't believe what happened' Ginny squealed at Hermione. 'Harry slept in your bed because of the ghoul in Ron's room and Mum came in this morning and found him there!'

'So much for Percy's room' said Ron, pleased he'd not been the only one caught out.

'We got caught too' confessed Hermione 'on the sofa'. Ginny looked gobsmacked, then as the other Weasley family member started arriving, spent the rest of breakfast stifling her giggles.

Although everyone still looked sad, the nights sleep had done them all good, even George looked slightly refreshed. Breakfast was passed in companionable silence, but without the tension of the previous night, though no one accepted Ron's offer to make tea.

After breakfast, Ron felt the need to take charge again, being aware that his Dad and George weren't really coping, and that no one would take suggestions from Percy, who thankfully was ashamed enough of his family desertion that he refrained from his usual prefect like bossy comments.

'Right, Dad, Percy George and Harry, we need to get that ghoul back into the attic' he said with what he hoped was an authoritative voice.

Arthur Weasley chuckled to himself 'that might be easier said than done, I think he's quite settled in your bed' but he led the way upstairs the boys following behind him.

Ginny, proud that her brother was being so grown up for once, emulated his forced cheerfulness and turned to the female members of the household and suggested they started clearing up and got some lunch ready.

She and Hermione got up to get started but were stopped by Mrs Weasley, who, hands on hips, told tham to sit back down, which they did, looking nervously at each other.

'Right' said Molly Weasley, taking out her wand. 'Ginny, I was planning on having this talk with you when you came of age but considering what I've seen this morning, now might be an appropriate moment'. Ginny blushed and tried to object, muttering about separate beds, but Mrs Weasley continued unabashed. 'And Hermione, dear. I know I'm not your mother but you certainly feel like one of the family, and since your mother is both in Australia and probably unfamiliar with wizarding contraception it's probably best if I have this little conversation with you too.' And with a flick of a wand and a call of 'accio cucumbers', two cucumbers flew out of the store room and came to rest in front of the mightily embarrassed girls.

'Now' said Mrs Weasley, having a great time 'there are several different contraceptive charms, and your choice of which one to use depends on the situation'. She looked at the girls to see they were concentrating and, though neither of them would meet her eyes she felt sure she had their attention and continued.

'If speed is of importance, the quickest charm is simply "spermicidio" which does the job in an emergency, but wears off quickly, so don't rely on it if you want a second round'.

Ginny giggled at this, mostly out of sheer embarrassment. Her mother looked at her sternly. 'Ginevra, if you can't talk about this in a mature way then you really are too young to be having boys in your room'

'Sorry, mum' Ginny said, her ears turning pink, and Hermione stifled her own impulse to laugh, not sure she could cope with a rebuke.

'If you want a more lasting charm "semen barricado" can last for a few hours, but is not always entirely full proof'. Mrs Weasley took a few moments to herself as she though of her dear son Charlie.

'The most effective means of contraception is definitely "prophylaticum protego" ' and with a flick of her wand, one of the cucumbers on the table shook slightly and with a shimmer of sparks appeared completely encased in a thin layer of rubber.

'Wow' said both girls, impressed.

'Right, your turn' said Mrs Weasley, reversing her spell and returning the cucumber to its natural state. 'Hermione, why don't you go first?'

Hermione, red in the face, stood up, and pointed her wand at the cucumber. 'Prophylaticum protego' she said, mumbling the first word out of embarrassment but saying the more familiar second word forcefully. Instead of the sparks that had accompanied the older woman's spell, a barrier shimmered between herself and the cucumber.

Mrs Weasley chuckled gently. 'Well, a full shield charm will certainly stop you getting pregnant, but it'll also stop all the fun first!'

Hermione wished the floor would open up and swallow her, and briefly considered a disillusionment charm so she could sneak off, but Ginny put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 'S'ok, if you're gonna go out with Ron a shield charm is probably exactly what you need'.

Hermione smiled, relaxing slightly, as Ginny took her turn. The youngest Weasley said the words perfectly, but couldn't bring herself to look at the salad vegetable on the table in front of her, so aimed her wand blind, and was shocked when she opened her eyes to see her mother on the opposite side of the table trapped inside a giant condom.

'Hmmm, rrevvsss sppellll' mumbled Mrs Weasley, wiggling around like a caterpillar. 'Hurry, can't breathe'.

Ginny, in shock, stood there staring as Hermione freed her mother, who after gulping air for a minute, saw the funny side and burst out laughing. Hermione couldn't help giggling too, and pretty soon the three of them were crying with laughter and the lesson was put on hold while they regained their composure.

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Harry trudged down the stairs to the kitchen behind Ron, hungry after battling with the Ghoul, which not only was happy in Ron's bed and didn't want to move back into the cold attic, but also had developed a lot of Ron's mannerisms and had taken to repeated everything he said. While it was funny at first to watch it copy his every gesture and calmly repeat back 'get upstairs you smelly, spotted git', much to Ron's increasing annoyance, the novelty wore off after the first hour.

Harry had also found it hard knowing how to act around George. He'd lost enough family and friends to know that he preferred people to be normal around him and not to avoid him, but he didn't remember his parents dying, and losing Sirius or Dobby really couldn't be compared to losing a twin. George was clearly trying his best to carry on as normal, but without Fred around to joke with he kept quiet and only spoke when pushed.

Lunch was clearly respite for everyone, and Harry expected the girls felt much the same downstairs having spent the morning with a weepy Mrs Weasley. He was therefore somewhat surprised to find them giggling amongst themselves, and neither Hermione nor Ginny would meet his eye.

Ron sat down at the table and Harry sat next to him and started helping himself to salad, as Arthur and Percy discussed the next stage in Ghoul relocating. As Ron leaned over and stuffed a piece of cucumber into his mouth the girls burst out laughing.

'Like that do you, Ron' teased Ginny

'Yes, why?' asked Ron puzzled. The girls both continued to laugh, Ginny so hard she choked on a cherry tomato her Mother had to pat her on the back.

'Arthur' she said whilst whacking her choking daughter 'George and Percy can finish upstirs this afternoon, I'd like you to have a little talk with Ron and Harry'. This puzzled Harry, but he saw a look of realization dawn on Ron's face as he looked from the cucumber, to Hermione, who was pink in the face and back to his Mother.

'It's alright, Mum' he said hurriedly 'Dad gave me "the talk" with the twins after he caught George snogging some French girl at Bill and Fleur's wedding'

'Ok then, but Arthur, you'll talk to Harry won't you?'

'Of course' said Mr Weasley, looking paternally at Harry. This prompted a new fit of giggles form the girls, and Ron and George to look sympathetically at Harry, who smiled back innocently, unaware that he was about to suffer the most embarrassing afternoon of his life!


	3. Chapter 3

'It was awful' said Harry, climbing into the spare bed in Ron's room. 'I can't believe you abandoned me like that!'.

'Sorry' said Ron, stony faced 'that seems to be what I\m good at'

Harry felt bad. Ron walking out on him and Hermione was ancient history as far as he was concerned, and any traces of ill will had evaporated when he'd seen the thoughts the locket was playing in his friends head. He wasn't quite ready to forgive Ron for the afternoon though, so Harry pressed on.

'Seriously, I can't believe you left me to have a sex talk with your Dad all by myself. I didn't know where to look!'

'Trust me, you were lucky. I had the talk with Fred and George who kept trying to get me to mess up, you know what they're like'. Ron seemed animated for a moment, his eyes laughing at the memories, then his face fell again as reality caught up with him 'Or were.'

Harry felt bad again, though there were enough reminders of Fred everywhere, not least his identical twin brother. Yet again he tried to distract his best friend.

'You don't understand. He made me trade'.

This got Ron's attention. 'What do you mean trade?'

'Teach him what muggles do in exchange for him teaching me " prophylaticum protego" ' Ron's eyes widened as Harry elaborated. 'He made me apparate down to the village with him and go to the chemists. I had to ask the little old lady behind the counter for condoms while your Dad stood behind me saying things like 'oooo, whats that' and pointing at stuff and then he spent ages getting the right money and the little old lady's eyes nearly popped out of her head when he clapped me on the back and said 'well that was fun, we should do this again sometime'.'

Ron couldn't help laughing at Harry's embarrassment, but stopped and went pink, umming and ahhing as if he wanted to ask Harry something but he didn't know what.

'Yes?' said Harry, prompting him.

'Well, I was just, you know, wondering what muggles do. You know, instead of charms and stuff. '

Harry couldn't believe this, father and son in one day. He shook his head 'I'm not having this conversation, Ron'

'Aw, mate go on. Its just that , well, Hermione's family are muggles and I thought she might prefer, well, um, you know'. He tailed off weakly.

Harry looked at him incredulously, not really sure what to say. He was giving contraceptive advice to his wizard friend who wanted to sleep with his best friend who was a witch and was worried in case she wanted to do things the non wizard witch way.

'Stick to the charms' was all he said in the end, turning over to go to end the conversation, go to sleep, and try to get rid of the nasty images of cucumber, condoms, Ron and Hermione that threatened to fill his dreams.

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Molly Weasley was making breakfast. The problem with having all her children at home, well nearly all, but she pushed that thought away fro now, was that they ate a huge amount and made enormous amounts of mess. She had to cook and clean pretty much constantly to keep up, and though she was grateful for the distraction at the moment, she was getting slightly frazzled.

There was a pop from outside the house, followed by a brisk rap at the door, and after a call of 'come in' an older witch with a large pointy hat in the traditional style stood in the doorway.

'Minerva, how nice to see you' said Molly, giving the older woman a big hug and getting flour over her neat black coat in the process.

'Likewise, Molly' replied McGonagall, surreptitiously dusting herself off. 'How are you doing, my dear?'

'Well, you know, coping. Keeping busy.' Molly Weasley tried to smile like she was coping, but only partially succeeded.

McGonagall nodded, understanding perfectly. She may not have lost one of her own, but several of her colleagues and sadly more of her students had also been killed in the battle, and somehow, as deputy head, she felt responsible. Acting head in fact now, with the unenviable job of rebuilding the school and organizing the memorial service.

'And how is George?' she enquired gently, knowing he must be suffering.

'I don't know' admitted his mother, 'he's generally behaving himself and doing what he's asked'.

'That doesn't sound good' agreed McGonagall and outlined the reason for her visit. The two woman discussed Minerva's ideas and proposal, and by the time hungry Weasleys started traping down the stairs, everything was agreed.

Breakfast was less strained than the day before, partly due to the novelty of having a guest. McGonagall for once spoke to them all like equals, rather than mischievous pupils and discussed with all of them the option of returning to Hogwarts for the new school year. Since none of the students the previous year had had much in the way of an academic education, she wanted everyone to repeat the year, though with the new first years coming in as well she forsaw it being rather crowded for the foreseeable future.

Harry was surprised that McGonagall didn't push them to finish their N.E.W.T.s, unlike Mrs Weasley. She pointed out that if Harry, for instanced, wished to become an Auror and hunt dark wizards, his grades really wouldn't be an issue, though should Hermione want a job at the ministry it might help, though with Kingsley as minister for magic, it shouldn't be a problem. Harry was also surprised at the reactions of his friends to the news. Hermione, whom he'd thought would jump at the chance to do homework and take exams didn't seem to keen, whilst Ron got really excited. Ginny smiled at him over the table, and, exams or no exams, Harry thought the idea of spending another year with her strolling through the grounds and snogging in the common room seemed quite appealing.

When breakfast was finished, McGonagall shot an enquiring glance at Mrs Weasley who nodded slightly and started clearing away the dishes, calling for everyone to help her. As they all got up and picked up their plates McGonagall quietly lead a puzzled George outside, and by the time his siblings noticed he was gone they had already apparated.

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Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny spent a pleasant morning messing around on broomsticks outside the burrow like they had as children. It started as a mini quidditch game but the teams weren't equal as Hermione was far less comfortable on a broom than the other three, so they reverted to attempting loop the loops and other tricks. It was fine until Harry was upside down and a half empty packet of condoms fell out of his pocket. Ginny wanted to know what they were, which Hermione and Ron thought was hilarious.

Once they'd calmed down they quit flying at sat under a tree discussing plans for the next year.

'Well I'll have to go back' said Ginny 'I've got two whole years left if I want N.E.W.T.s '

'Yeah, and like Mum'll give us a choice' added Ron. 'It was hard enough t o convince her last year, now there's no saving the world to be done I'll have to go back to school'.

'It'll be nice though' said Harry. 'Quidditch, comfy beds, no threats of imminent death, and the exams aren't til next summer.'

'I wonder if we'll still be prefects' Ron directed to Hermione, who was being unusually quiet.

'Hmmm, maybe' was the only answer he got.

'Are you ok?' he asked, looking puzzled, who, like Harry, expected her to be over the moon at the thought of exams.

She looked uncertain, 'well, I'm not sure I'll be back in time to start the year'.

'Back from where?' asked Harry at the same time as Ron declared 'of course you will'. Hermione didn't know who to talk to first so it was Ron who continued.

'If we leave right after the funeral we've got about a month before term starts, which is plenty of time to get to Australia and back.'

Hermione felt relieved. She knew Ron had no idea how difficult it was going to be to reverse the memory charms she had put on her parents, but he was definitely planning on coming with her, and her fears of being stuck on the other side of the world while all her friends carried on without her faded.

'It won't be easy to sort out their memories' she warned, not verbalizing the other half of her fears.

'All the more reason to start planning now' said Ron reasonably, and Hermione marveled again at how mature he was these days, just as he found a beetle in the grass and tried to slip it down Harry's back.

'Ooo, I've got a book about wizarding tourist destinations around the world upstairs ' said Ginny. 'you won't be able to apparate all the way in one go so you might as well see the sights'.

'Great' said Hermione, actually beginning to look forward to her trip and the girls went indoors to plan, leaving Harry trying to get revenge with by stuffing a centipede up Ron's nose.

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'What do you think?' McGonagall studied the face of the young man in front of her. He had listened without interruption to her proposals, and though the sadness in his eyes remained, he seemed more alive than he had when they first entered her office.

'Count me in' he said, without hesitation. Then though for a moment. 'I'll need help though. Ron and Percy should do.'

McGonagall nodded 'I thought as much. If you can tell Mr Potter and Miss Granger to come and see me after dinner I'll give them their instructions and we can start work here tomorrow.'

'Right you are' grinned George and stood up, a fraction more bounce in his movements. 'See you on Friday'.

'See you Friday, Mr Weasley' echoed McGonagall, watching him leave glad that he approved of her plans. She shook her head to clear her thought. Who'd have ever thought that she would seek approval from one of the infamous Weasley twins!

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Molly Weasley saw the hand on her magical clock turn to traveling and new her son would be home momentarily.

'Dinner's ready' she called to summon the masses.

She heard two pops outside, and George strode in to the kitchen closely followed by her husband.

She merely raised an eyebrow at her son, who nodded slightly and took his seat quickly. Arthur came over and gave her a peck on the cheek.

'How was work, dear' she asked, keen to know what was going on at the ministry.

'Mad' replied Arthur, tiredly taking his seat at the head of the table. 'The whole buildings been either destroyed or booby trapped by employees who were under the imperius curse. Some of them can remember what they've done and some can't so people are running around like a headless chicken. '

'What kind of booby traps?' asked George eagerly.

'Exploding pens, bewitched doorknobs that we think were supposed to be listening devices but only play back what they've heard in the style of opera and have some how got mixed up with a sonorator so the whole department hears when we try to disconnect them, and poor Maud'. Here he tailed off in thought.

'Poor Maud' prompted Ginny

'Ah, yes. Well, Maud from accounts is muggleborn and went into hiding in the ministry itself.

'Isn't that a bit stupid' said Ron taking his usual seat next to Hermione.

'Or clever, it's the last place anyone would look ' countered Harry

'But Umbridge must have set up all kinds of enchantments and things' said Hermione. Uncharacteristically jumping to Ron's defense. Harry wondered if she was going to do that from now on, but figured the honey moon period would be over soon and they'd return to their usual bickering.

'Well no one found her' continued Mr Weasley. 'She was hiding in the safe behind the tax refunds desk, and no-ones had to go in there for years.'

Mrs weasley made a hmmpphhing noise at this but her husband continued.

'She didn't even know the war was over so when we went down there to check it out there were buckets of water falling from the ceiling, conjured skeletons dancing round warning us we'd be cursed if we continued and Maud herself trying to hex the lot of us. '

'What happened' asked Ron

'Well apart from poor Muswell getting hit with a hairball hex not much. We managed to calm her down in the end and offered to take her home, but she decided she liked it down there and has requested permission to stay. '

The family continued to eat, Ron wondering what would happen if you got hit by a hairball curse, Hermione mentally comparing the charms needed to make a safe homely, and George mentally going over McGonagall's words.


	4. The funeral

Harry led the way up to the headmaster's, no he thought, headmistresses, office. Hermione followed behind him, trying to work out what was going on and why George had prevented Ron coming too. She missed him, Ron, not George, and felt annoyed with herself for missing him as she was a strong independent woman and really didn't need him around 24\7. But George had said he needed him until Friday and though Ron had been trying to communicate something to her over McGonagall's shoulder, his eyebrow wiggling had not been particularly enlightening. Hopefully he'd send her an owl later, if McGonagall didn't explain everything first.

They had reached the door to the Head's office and Harry knocked firmly, feeling much more at home there than most other Hogwarts students.

'Come in' called the Headmistress

Harry and Hermione went in and Harry's eyes turned as they always did to the portrait of Dumbledore, who acknowledged him with a nod and a smile and returned to the parchment he was reading. Harry's eyes then flicked to a new portrait that had appeared next to Nigellus Black, whose occupant was quietly sleeping, as Dumbledore had been the first time Harry saw his picture.

'Snape' whispered Harry softly, overwhelmed by his feeling for this man. He had been personally repulsive, well he didn't have the best interpersonal skills to put it mildly, and the stories that Ginny had told him about what had happened in Hogwarts during the year of his Headship made Harry feel physically sick. But Harry had shared his thoughts and knew that not only had Snape loved his mother and tried to protect him, he had been angry at Dumbledore for his willingness to sacrifice Harry, had spent his life lonely and scared, sacrificing everything for the child of the woman he loved and the man he despised and ultimately lost everything. Harry was slowly beginning to think that Snape was the bravest person he had ever met, but somehow still couldn't yet make himself like him.

His reverie was interrupted by McGonagall beckoning them to sit down as she explained why they were there.

'As you are all but too aware, the battle with Voldemort has left its marks' she began.

Hermione worryingly had Ron's imagined response of 'that's a bloody understatement' pop into her head, and thought that perhaps some time apart would do them good before she actually started saying things like that out loud.

'Both personal and physical damage has been done' McGonagall continued 'and our task now is to try to rebuild both the lives of the families who have been bereaved and the physical protection that Hogwarts offers it's students'

'Is there going to be a memorial service?' asked Harry, thinking back to Dumbledore's funeral that now seemed so long ago.

'Yes, Mr Potter. It has been arranged for Friday and all the families who have lost loved ones have been contacted. '

Hermione's mind started processing this information. Friday, that couldn't be a coincidence. McGonagall continued 'By that time I would like to have the school in as good a state as possible and I require your assistance'.

'We'll do anything to help that we can' said Harry.

'Good. I have been led to believe that you have a map that may be particularly helpful in this' McGonagall said, raising a single eyebrow enquiringly.

Harry looked up and caught Dumbledore winking at him before again looking engrossed in his parchment.

'Yes' said Harry, patting his jeans pocket where the marauders map was safely stashed away.

'Excellent. What I'd like you to do is carry out a survey of the castle. There may still be people we haven't found and damage we don't know about. Miss Granger, if you could document what you find and give me a brief report?'

'Of course' said Hermione, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of writing a report, and mentally ignoring the word brief.

'Excellent' said McGonagall 'You'll find many familiar faces are helping in the reconstruction effort too'. With that she dismissed them with a nod and a smile.

Outside the office Harry pulled out his map, tapped it with his wand muttering 'I solemnly declare I'm up to no good' and it sprung to life. 'Not actually true for once though is it?' he said to Hermione, who had a very McGonagall like expression on her face as she replied 'No, which can only be a good thing'.

Harry was shocked as he looked at the map. There were huge sections of corridor either filled in or just missing and even in schematic form you could tell that the castle was a wreck.

'Right' said Hermione going into organizational mode, her favourite. 'There seems to be a lot of damage in this section and all the others seem to be working over there' she pointed at a group of dots amongst whose names Harry could recognize Neville and His Gran, 'so I suggest we start here and work our way that way.'

'Yes, sir' said Harry with a mock salute, and off they went.

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The sun was poking through the windows and Harry rolled over, pulling his pillow over his head before remembering that today was Friday and he had to get up and get ready for the memorial service.

He reached over and slipped don his glasses, the black robes that Kreacher had laid out for him coming into focus. He slipped them on and headed down to the great hall for breakfast.

The past few days had been hard. The worst had been sorting out the part of the castle where Fred had been killed and Hermione had been inconsolable when she stepped on his wand. But everyone had worked hard and if you hadn't known what had happened, you couldn't tell that the castle had been attacked.

The group of workers were already clustered together on the Griffindor table when he got down. Harry squeezed in between Hermione and Neville and helped himself to some juice.

'Morning' he said. Hermione just nodded went back to pushing food around her plate and taking sneaky glances at the doorway. Waiting for Ron, Harry supposed only just realizing that he would get to see Ginny again too. His heart leapt but was quickly replaced by an awful feeling of guilt. How could be so happy at the prospect of a day when he was going to the funeral of three friends.

After breakfast they all left the hall together and went down into the Hogwart's grounds, which were looking immaculate thanks to Hagrid and over to the rows of chairs that they had all helped to put out the night before.

Harry could see a cluster of red heads down by the front so he nudged Hermione and went over in their direction. Ginny saw him first and gave him a big hug, while Hermione went over to Mrs Weasley. Mr Weasley looked lost, but Charlie was attempting to guide him to a seat, and Bill and Fleur were whispering quietly to one another. There was no sign of Ron, George or Percy, though Harry had expected as much, having received an owl from Ron the day before. Hermione had been miffed that he hadn't written to her and had tried to get out of Harry what was going to happen but he'd gotten quite good at keeping secrets over the years and wasn't about to cave in now.

They filed into their places, Mrs Weasley telling Hermione to keep three seats free at the end. All the other families were in their places and McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt were standing on a podium with a velvet curtain blocking off what was behind it.

Kingsley stood up to speak, and just as he did there was a pop next to Hermione and the three errant Weasley brothers appeared.

'Hi' whispered Ron shyly to Hermione, tentatively taking her hand in his. She smiled and squeezed it. 'Just in time, Kingsley's about to start'.

Ron caught George's eye and they both nodded. 'Here goes' said George patting both on the back as Kingsley started his speech.

'We are here today to say good bye to our friends and family who fought bravely and sacrificed themselves so that we could live'.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'As a tribute to all those who died in the battle of Hogwarts, a monument has been erected here so that the brave will be remembered always. I ask you to stand and join together as we remember our loved ones'

There was a rustle as everyone stood and McGonagall stepped up as Kingsley swished his wand and the curtain drew back to reveal a monument, an obelisk into which a list of names had been carved.

McGonagall began to read from the list

'Hannah Abbot'

The top of the obelisk began to give out flowers, they looked like lilies and a voice came from it. 'Hannah was a gentle girl, she loved flowers and animals and spent all her holidays in the garden'. Another voice, a younger one, started up with another memory 'Hannah fought bravely at the battle and did everything she could to protect her friends. I wouldn't be alive without her and will always remember her sacrifice for us' a final voice, even younger drifted in 'Hannah was a great sister, she always told me stories and let me play with her stuff, and I 'm so proud of her for being a hero'

The flowers began to fade as McGonagall read out the next name. This time miniature quidditch players shot out of the obelisk and flew round as more friends and family shared their reminiscences. With each name came a personalized rememberance. Harry felt the grief tear through him at his own voice speaking of Tonks and Remus, his heart almost breaking when he looked up and caught Andromeda's eye holding Teddy who gurgled happily, unaware of the situation. It was the first time he had seen his godson and he realised his responsibility to make sure Teddy had a happy childhood.

They're must have been almost 50 people, some of whom Harry new, like little Colin Creevey, some of whom he had never heard of, which was almost worse as he thought of people who didn't even know him fighting for him.

But as McGonagall reached the end of her list, the final name hurt worst of all.

'Fred Weasley'. At this fireworks erupted from the obelisk fizzing and sparkling quietly at first as Harry heard each of the Weasleys say something, first Molly 'he was a loving, Son' then Arthur 'He did us all proud, standing up to the Dark Wizards this whole time' and all the siblings voices coming out all over each other. Finally you could hear Ron say, 'George, your turn…..' and there was a pause.

'Fred, …' George's voice from the monument hesitated, but the George at the funeral grinned up at the obelisk. 'Fred…. ROCKED!' and with that more fireworks blasted out and filled the sky. Multicoloured explosions rocked the whole castle grounds and the mourners ooohhed and ahhhed as they watched. Harry lost track of the time as he stared at the hypnotic display and said his goodbyes to his lost friends.

As the obelisk ejected one last spread, Harry saw George turn to Ron, who had his arm round his girlfriends shoulders as tears ran down both their cheeks.

'What do you think then, little brother?'

Ron smiled and wiped away his tears with his sleeves saying 'You've down him proud George, that rocked'.

And they hugged and then everyone was hugging and crying and talking. All the families were talking and sharing their grief, and Ron and George seemed to be the men of the hour as they seemed to know everyone.

'I suppose they've been collecting memories all week' said Hermione to Harry as she watched her boyfriend being sloppily kissed by an exceptionally old lady who kept thanking him for his lovely memorial as he looked very uncomfortable.

'Yeah' said Harry. 'Ron said it was McGonagall's idea. Told George what she would always remember him and Fred for was when they left school, you remember?'

'Of course, the fireworks'

'So she asked George if he could put on a bit of a display and George wanted to something for everyone so he and Ron have been visiting relatives all week while Percy's been charming the monument'

'Well they did a very good job' said Hermione unaware that Ron had escaped from his senior citizen and was stood behind her listening, pink with pleasure at her praise. 'Using memories like that takes some pretty difficult spell work and dealing with grieving relatives must take a lot of consideration'

'Oy, I can be considerate! said Ron making her jump.

'Of course you can, I was just saying, well, you know, good work'. Hermione looked embarrassed but Ron gave her a huge hug before they returned to the mourning families.


	5. Chapter 5

Yet again they all traipsed up the path and into the Burrow. But this time if felt more like coming home, less cold and empty. Fred was still gone, but somehow the funeral had helped and everyone was swapping stories over his exploits. George was leading the discussion proudly, telling hilarious tales of their mishaps during the testing of various Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products.

Ginny, Fleur and Mrs Weasley started to get dinner ready while Mr Weasley poured drinks for the men. Harry turned to give Ron a drink but realized his friend wasn't there a fraction of a second before a horrible shrieking noise came from upstairs. Everyone looked surprised except Mrs Weasley who said grimly 'well, really' as a shame faced Hermione and Ron tried to sneak down the stairs.

'Alarm charm' said Mrs Weasley firmly. 'Ginny's room can only be entered by girls and Ron's room only by boys or everyone will know about it'. Harry laughed at the look on Ron's face, until he realized it would somewhat thwart his own plans regarding Ginny and choked on his drink.

Luckily for Ron, George stepped in. He leaned over to Hermione and whispered

'I'm sure you will disapprove of what I'm about to do, but I assure you that Fred would want me to get as much use out of his untimely death as possible, which includes getting out of chores and helping my romantically challenged younger brother sneak around'

With that he made a great display of giving his mother a big hug and sighing loudly 'Ah, Fred'. Over his shoulder he gestured to Ron to head out of the back door, which he did, pulling Hermione behind him. As Ginny waved at Harry to follow he miraculously recovered from his fit of grief saying. 'I'm sorry everyone, I'm so tired. Ginny, would you mind doing my chores today, I just don't think I can cope with chopping vegetables on the day of Fred's funeral'. When Ginny glared at him he merely smiled and said 'I'm sure Harry will help'

As Harry passed him he whispered apologetically, 'sorry, mate. I know you're a hero an all, and really I couldn't be happier that my sister is dating the boy who lived twice, but she's my little sister and at the risk of sounding like my dear mother, I don't want anything happening under my nose, especially seeing as she's underage!'

Harry grumpily started chopping carrots, wishing he hadn't fallen for a girl with so many older brothers.

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Ron and Hermione ran out of the house, around the back, across the field and all the way down to the lake. There they collapsed breathless and laughing under a tree.

'I feel like a kid again, trying to sneak out to play' said Ron

'It's nice, isn't it? I mean the only thing we have to worry about is being caught by your Mum. No Voldemort, no Horcruxes, no giant snakes'

'I don't' know,' said Ron 'my Mum can be pretty scary sometimes'

'Well, we'll have to make sure we don't get caught then' said Hermione giggling.

Ron flung his arm around her shoulders as the looked across the lake, which was sparkling in the twilight.

'I think Harry and I have been a bad influence on you' he said, a smile playing on his lips. 'You never used to have so much fun breaking the rules'

'Well some things are worth it' said Hermione. 'Plus I'm an adult now, and if I want to spend some quality time with my boyfriend I will. ' She coloured a little using the word "boyfriend", still not quite used to the thought of it. Ron noticed and smiled at her.

'I like the sound of that'

'Me too' Hermione said honestly, and yet again their lips met softly and the lost themselves in the touch and taste of each other. Ron couldn't get enough of the softness of Hermione's lips and cupped her face in his hands, holding her close. Hermione felt shivers travel down her spine as Ron gently stroked her face, marveling at the tenderness in his touch as she explored the muscles of his back, clutching him closer to her.

They stayed like that until they heard a distant shout of 'dinner'.

Hermione ran her fingers through her hair, trying to make it look less disheveled as they headed back up to the house.

'Remind me to thank George' said Ron, smiling down at her.

'Definitely' said Hermione. 'Do you really think Fred would have approved?'

'Yeah' said Ron 'Fred always approved of you'

'Really?'

'Yeah, he always it was good to know that there was someone else out there whose sole purpose in life seemed to be to annoy me'

Hermione playfully slapped him and pretended to look annoyed, but was secretly pleased.

'In fact all my family approve' said Ron. 'Mum and Dad think of you as part of the family anyway. Bill's only comment when he found out we were together was 'about bloody time'. And you know Percy's logic. You're a prefect so you must be alright. Ginny's obviously really happy for us, though I'm pretty sure she thinks you could do better'

'No way' said Hermione certainly. 'I've wanted you for as long as I can remember, there really couldn't be anyone else'

Ron kissed her on the forehead, mumbling thanks and blushing, and continued 'and George, well the fact that he's helping us sneak around is a pretty clear indication what he thinks. He used to tell Mum if he saw Bill and Fleur sneaking off together before they were married '

At the mention of Gorge, Hermione looked concerned.

'He seems to be coping really well, but how is he really? You've just spent the past week with him.'

Ron looked thoughtful. 'I think the memorial service did him good. It made him think about what Fred would have wanted him to do and less about how much he missed him. He's still got a long way to go, and while we were planning stuff he'd be alright one moment and completely devastated the next, but he's getting there.'

'What does he plan to do next?'

'He's gonna stay round here for a bit than go back to the shop. Perce is gonna help him for a while, seeing as he is unemployed at the moment! George said in some ways Percy'll make a better work partner as he and Fred always used to argue about who got to do the fun inventing stuff and who had to do the boring stuff like taxes and things, but seeing as Percy doesn't really approve of fun and thinks filling out forms is really exciting ….. Anyway, we're all here if he needs us, and we talked a lot while we were visiting relatives and stuff. '

'The memorial service really was good' said Hermione earnestly. 'I'm so proud of you. It showed real consideration and maturity'

'Always that tone of surprise ' said Ron good naturedly and they laughed as they snuck back into the house.

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At dinner Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat at the end of the table chatting comfortably.

'So what happens next?' asked Ginny

'Seconds' answered Ron, stuffing the last mouthful of his dinner into his mouth.

Ginny and Harry rolled their eyes while Hermione smiled indulgently at him.

'No you moron, after that'

'Pudding' said Ron, grinning.

Ginny made a frustrated noise as the others laughed.

'Seriously though' said Hermione. 'I'll have to leave soon to see my parents, if I'm going to get back before term starts'

'How 'bout we leave on Monday?' said Ron, spitting a bit of his first mouthful of seconds on his girlfriend, but she didn't seem to mind, replying 'mmm, that gives me the weekend to sort tickets, sounds perfect.'

'I guess I'll go and sort out Grimmauld place' said Harry, trying to sound excited but actually feeling a little lost knowing that for the first time in a year he would be without his two best friends. Though on second thoughts, now they'd started snogging each other he was probably best off where he couldn't walk in on them.

'It'll need it' said Ron, 'What with the Kreacher, Snape, Misistry gits and Death Eaters all having had a go at it'

'I can give you a hand' said Ginny, but unluckily was overheard by her Mother.

'Fine, but you're staying here, no sleeping over!'

General laughter followed this and chatter resumed all round the table. No one knew what would happen next, but a future without Voldemort certainly seemed appealing.

The End


End file.
